Fire May Be Fatal: Authorities: Body May Be in Home Rubble

Firefighters mop up after a two-story home in the Dog Bar Road area burned to the ground Sunday afternoon. A neighbor who reported the blaze said he may have seen a body within the flames. (Photo by Pete Skiba)

A large house in the south county burned to the ground on Sunday, and investigators will search for possible fatalities today, officials said.

A neighbor reported the fire at 3:21 p.m. and said he saw what appeared to be a person lying face down inside the home, a Sheriff's Department press release said.

The fire's cause is unknown, and as of Sunday night, the two-story house was being treated as a crime scene, said Deputy Jesse King.

The 2,000 square-foot house at 20233 Wolf Creek Road off Dog Bar Road was totally swallowed by flames when firefighters arrived at 3:30 p.m., said Chief Tim Fike of the Nevada County Consolidated Fire District.

Looking tired at about 5:30 p.m., Fike said there was a strong possibility someone had died in the fire.

The house belonged to a husband and wife, Fike said. It is believed they have a son who lives in Sacramento, he said, but the son's vehicle was found parked beside the house.

The homeowners' and the son's names were unavailable Sunday.

"It will take a while to get the house cooled down so we can take a look," Fike said. "We'll piece together how things should have looked before the fire, and then we'll pick (the rubble) apart piece by piece."

The Sheriff's Department, the state Fire Marshal's Office and Nevada County Consolidated Fire Protection District are conducting the joint investigation, the release said.

The state fire marshal will be on the scene at daybreak today to begin the search, Fike said.

The neighbor heard a loud explosion and saw the house ablaze, then called 911, Fike said.

The explosion may or may not have started the fire, Fike said. It may have been the fire finding a source of oxygen and exploding, he said.

The firefighters had the blaze contained by about 5 p.m. The home's distance from any hydrant made it a tough fire to fight, Fike said.

The water ran out as a fourth tanker truck drove up from the Ophir Hill Fire Protection District. The tanker trucks carry from 2,500 to 3,000 gallons of water.

The tanker was quickly hooked up to hoses.

At about 5:30 p.m., firefighters were still hosing down the building with foam. Spot flames licked at different places in the rubble.

Sweaty and tired firefighters drank sports drinks in the shade of pine trees.

Sheriff's Deputies interviewed a neighbor who may have been the first one on the scene. The man was too shaken to talk to The Union.

Grass Valley City Fire Department, Higgins Area Fire Protection District and Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Ambulance also responded to the fire.

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